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As I read all of the different statements and opinions about gay marriage, I have to remind myself that I am not married to my partner of 11 years. We are raising children together but we are not "married" by a church or the state or anything of that sort. If getting married was as easy for us as it is for heterosexual couples, I don't know that we would be married. We probably would but I can't say for sure. Honestly marriage isn't that important to me other than having "legal" rights, health care, retirement, children etc. I should expand but I'm too lazy. Most of you know what the marriage certificate entails. My parents were married. My father twice, my mother 4 times in total. My partners parents have been married more than 40 years and are still in love. It's not about being married, it's about being told by a religion or a church or a bigot that being gay and married is wrong.
Maybe the bible does say that 2 dudes or 2 chicks shouldn't get married because God thinks it's wrong. Maybe homosexuality is a sin, maybe only men and women should raise children together, maybe God did punish all the people in New Orleans with that hurricane because they were sinners. Only God knows for sure.
As I see it, we were created by someone, something and we are here to live a life. We are meant to live our lives healthy, happy and respectful of other humans, other creatures, and to the earth we've been dropped onto. Whether it's through our faith in God, Buddha, each other or whatever, we all have to share this world. I don't care if someone doesn't believe in what I believe, I don't care if someone I meet on the street or at work has a different opinion about religion or marriage than I do. In fact, I would be annoyed if everyone I've ever met completely agreed with me on every subject because sometimes I'm wrong or need more information to fully understand certain things. What truly bothers me is when a person of "power" expresses a hateful or hurtful opinion and doesn't care who it affects. When I say person of power, I mean someone who is heard by thousands or ten's of thousands of people, or someone who is allowed to stand in front of an audience and speak or a classroom. Any time a politician or a radio talk show host gets out and spews hate, it only incites more hate amongst regular people. America, freedom of speech, I get it. Think before you speak in front of millions.
Sure Sarah and Todd, we know, your not a big fan of gay marriage. No one for one single minute thought that you were. Holding those bags with that phony thumbs up is telling us what? You love chicken? You totally agree with Chik-Fil-A and think that marriage should only be between a man and a woman like the bible says? Or is it really just because Obama made a statement a few months ago about gay marriage being ok? That's the real deal here right? Your hatred for him is so intense that you are willing to look even more like a bigot than you already do by supporting a place that you probably never even thought about going to. It's not just your base, it's just him. Your probably not racist, your just so up the tea party's ass that ANYTHING to show your opposition to him... you can't resist. Whatever. Is it a sin to have a child out of wedlock when the law says sex before 18 is illegal? Is it a sin to leave your term 1/2 way through because of the stress on your family that you continue to put on them over and over. Is it a sin to hate another human being as much as you hate Obama. Let's talk about sin for a minute.
Adultery, divorce, hate, Oxycontin, driving a really long way with a dog on the roof of your car, leaving your wife when she's diagnosed with cancer, naming your son Trig or Trak, comparing a US President to a man that killed at least 11 million people, giving the most false information possible to your viewers on a regular basis, being anti-abortion but pro capital punishment, how about comparing our US President to a psychopathic killer that walked into a theater shooting guns and killing 12 innocent people. Are these things sins? Are these things worse than loving another human being and wanting to spend the rest of your life with someone. I realize that sin is a huge part of the religious argument here. I also realize that sin is spread everywhere. The left have sin also, they just don't preach the word of the lord as much. I don't see how we can mix religion with politics or fast food and think that's ok.
Have your religious views, teach them to your children, post them on Facebook but don't make a public statement about your religious views when you sell chicken, or when you are trying to get people elected. Good for Huckabee and Santorum that they have a strong belief system, keep that stuff under your roof, as I will keep my sexuality under mine. I'm not running for office or hosting a show on TV. Talk God and the bible on the religion channel or in your church. Stop telling me about my sin when your sinning everyday more than I do in a year. Your judgement of others is enough sin for a lifetime.
When religious people talk about gay people and raising children, that's another thing that really bothers me. I don't hear anything about child abuse, spousal abuse, incest, child pornography or fathers that desert their children nearly as much as I do about gay parents not being in the best interest of the child. It seems like as long as there is a mother and father in the picture, the rest is just circumstance. There is no study showing that children of gay parents turn out any different than children of two heterosexual parents. The only thing I could find was that lesbian moms spend more time playing with their kids than heterosexual dads do and children of gay parents are less gender specific when it comes to roles of men and women. In other words, they don't give a care who cooks and cleans or who works full time. I did find a lot of info about children of divorce, children in abusive homes, children of single mothers or single fathers and children whose parents are first cousins. No religious groups talk about that do they?
Children raised by gay parents are no worse off then children without fathers or children living in foster care or in orphanages or on the streets. My children are being raised by gay people, they are "gaybies", they are normal, weird because they're teenagers, but normal. They aren't gay and probably won't be. They are healthy and smart and funny. Mostly, they are loved and they are surrounded by unconditional love. Not abnormal or inappropriate love, the same kind of love that a mom and dad family have for their kids. They might get a question or two from their friends but nothing more than that. We don't dress them in rainbow clothes or walk down the street shouting out our gay pride so that helps some.
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| Church near a gay friends house in VA |
this is from an online article on cnn. thought i should add it:
Politicos such as Santorum and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are also showing their support. Huckabee has called for a "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" next Wednesday.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), meanwhile, is promoting a National Same-Sex Kiss Day to be held at Chick-fil-A restaurants across the country on August 3
The number of Americans who say they have a close friend or family member who is gay, meanwhile, has jumped from 49% in 2010 to 60% today, the first time in CNN polling that a majority of Americans have said that. In the 1990s, most Americans said they did not know anyone close to them who was gay. Attitudes about sexual orientation have also changed over that same time period. In 1998, a majority believed that someone who is homosexual could change their sexual orientation if they chose to do so. Today, only a third feel that way, and the number who say that gays cannot change their orientation is almost six in 10.
quoted from "Chick-fil-A wades into a fast-food fight over same-sex marriage rights"
Sarah Aarthun, CNN
